A World in One Room
by yutes
Summary: My take on the interrogation scene, what would happen if Rey wasn't able to escape by tricking the stormtrooper and spent more time as Kylo Ren's prisoner? And how will their newfound feelings for each other manifest themselves? Lines will be blurred and allegiances will be questioned. Reylo, rating will go up as more chapters are added!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** They aren't cousins, it's too predictable and too boring. I have more faith in JJ than this! But if it is confirmed canon that they're related, I'll be the first to chuck all of my fic out the window and off the face of the earth.

She woke up dead in a world of black.

Rey had found herself in tight situations before, but she always figured something out. Her mind was quick from the tests that life on Jakku had given her, and her body even quicker. She was made of lean muscle, the product of long work days and the small amounts of food it put on the table. But everything changed the day she found BB-8 and Finn was brought into her life. Suddenly, she was thrown into a conflict much larger than herself and wanting out of it desperately.

She woke up to find her arms and legs restrained by cold metal and entered a panic. Rey fidgeted and tested the strength of the bonds, and soon discovered that escaping wouldn't be so simple. She then felt for the knife she kept in her back pocket, only to find that it wasn't there.

 _Fuck._

The door opened.

 _Fuck._

She was afraid, truly afraid for her life for the first time in years. Her palms were sweaty and her eyes darted back and forth, looking for a way out that wasn't there.

 _Fuck._

It was him, the one they call Kylo-Ren. Rey assumed him to be the leader of the First Order, or at the very least someone very high up based on the way he walked and commanded the stormtrooper who had been guarding her door. He wore a mask and his figure was obscured by black clothing so that there was no true indication of his identity. Rey composed herself and made eye contact. Her gaze was fierce and unyielding.

 _I won't be intimidated by him. I won't let him win._

"Where is your base?" Kylo-Ren said. His voice was distorted and difficult to understand.

"I'll never tell you anything."

"I know your traitor of a friend is keeping the droid there."

"You don't know a thing about the resistance, otherwise you wouldn't have brought me here. I have nothing you want," Rey said.

"On the contrary, you have everything I want," Kylo said. He raised his hand, but was interrupted. Rey was frantic to do or say anything to derail the interaction.

"You're nothing but another coward hiding behind a mask. Let me go and I'll show you a real fight," Rey shouted, leaning forward. She had a wild look in her eye and her nostrils flared, "Take off your helmet and fancy armor. I'll take you on right now."

What he did next surprised her. He took of his helmet and dropped it on the floor. The loud noise made Rey flinch. She certainly didn't expect him to be so young, or so handsome for that matter. It was unsettling to her, to think that she was attracted to the enemy.

"Am I less intimidating to you this way?" Kylo said before moving closer, "Now, I'll ask you one more time. Where is your base? If you don't cooperate, I may need to resort to more… unorthodox methods." He inched closer and moved a clump of hair away from her face with his hand.

"Don't you ever touch me again," Rey said, jerking her head away from his hand.

"Then we're going to do this the hard way," Kylo said. He raised his hand again, summoning the power of the Force and invading Rey's mind. But instead of extracting the information he needed right away, he elected to have fun exploring her memories first.

 _The sun is shining brightly into her eyes, Rey is about 6 or 7 years old and back on her home planet Jakku. All she sees is the sunlight and two dark figures obscured by the light._

" _We'll be back for you, just you wait." The voice was warm and comforting. It was sweet like sugar and in that moment Rey felt safe. But just like that, she was alone._

 _The landscape changes, she finds herself at 10 years of age, wrapping the cuts and icing the bruises she wore as a result of crawling through the old abandoned ships of the dunes for parts. The rations she'd traded them for sat on the table across the room, and the pain was just as fresh to her as it was all those years ago._

 _But then she is herself at 15, the time she'd been captured by slavers passing through the desert. The same fear she felt then echoes through her mind. Her wrists are bound crudely with a coarse rope, and the knot is just loose enough to undo._

Rey's eyes have widened in shock. She couldn't figure out what he was doing, or how to stop it. She didn't know where the surge of resistance came from, but she pushed back on Kylo as aggressively as she could. His presence was being forced out of her thoughts. She leaned forward and looked him in the eye.

Kylo was very obviously taken aback. He was even more so when Rey managed to break into his own mind.

"You are afraid," Rey said with a smirk, "Afraid that you'll never be as great as Darth Vader."

"Enough!" he shouted, and with a flick of his hand her head slammed back onto the hard metal and she was unable to move.

"You are nothing but a dirty desert rat, and you would do well to remember your place," Kylo spat, "The Force is strong within you, but you are untrained." He relinquished his hold on Rey and she breathed deeply now that her lungs were no longer restrained.

"You'll never find Finn, you might have me but you'll never take him alive," Rey said with a smile.

"You have great potential, you could be incredibly useful to me if you were trained," he said before picking his helmet up off the floor and putting it on. He dismissed the stormtrooper guarding the door, as he was wary of the possibility of her using mind tricks on him to escape.

"I'll be back for you, just you wait," Kylo said with a laugh. The door closed behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who faved/followed/and reviewed! You guys are all awesome, and you've inspired me to start mapping out a longer plot than I originally anticipated. I also tried to slow the pace of the story, as was suggested!

I thought I'd share some of the music that I've been listening to while writing, just in case anyone REALLY wanted to set the mood while reading this chapter.

watch?v=v4wuV14QlNM Enjoy! Most of these songs are going to be Holst, because he is my favorite composer and his music heavily inspired the music from Star Wars (also what I listen to while writing).

 **Chapter 2**

It had been about a day since Rey had any food or water, and her throat was dry. Being from the desert meant getting used to small amounts of water, and she'd gone for long stretches without food before. If Kylo Ren thought he would use starvation as a tactic, he was sorely mistaken because Rey would not give in so easily, especially to needs as base as these.

 _I am the one thing that I can control. I have the knowledge he needs. I have the power._

She missed Finn badly. In the short time she'd known him, Rey had really come to care for him, even if she had difficulty showing it. There was so much to admire about his persistence and selflessness. She imagined him reaching the resistance base with BB-8 in tow, being reunited with his comrades. Rey wondered if the intelligence she had warranted a rescue by the resistance, or if she was truly on her own again.

 _What a dangerous idea Finn, Han, and Chewy have planted in my mind, the assumption that I'm worth saving._

She had gotten used to the restraints, as uncomfortable as they were, but she hadn't been able to sleep a wink. Rey didn't trust this place, and even though she knew that Kylo wouldn't kill her until he'd extracted the information he needed, her new environment was too unfamiliar for Rey to justify lowering her guard for even a few hours of rest. Her eyes felt heavy. She wished she could raise her hand to rub the sleep out of them.

Part of the reason she refused to sleep was because she was afraid to retreat into her mind, afraid he would plague her dreams. That face was burned into the fabric of Rey's memory. It looked dazed, confused, having the potential for kindness until he'd snapped and those features twisted in anger. She concluded that he hadn't given himself completely to the Dark, not yet.

Rey had been passing the time trying to do what she'd seen Kylo do several times by flexing her hand with the intention of making something move. She hadn't had any success yet, but with each attempt she felt closer to escape. Rey hoped that what happened before, the power she was able to command to protect her knowledge of the resistance, could happen again if she kept her focus.

The opening of the door threw Rey into a panic again. Her first instinct was to pretend to be sleeping, so she did just that and hoped for the best. Rey's eyes were closed, so she only heard his heavy footsteps growing closer.

 _Not again, please not again. Please buy it and just leave leave leave._

"For someone who is so strong with the Force, you are an idiot. Not that you're to blame, Jakku isn't exactly a cultural hub. I'd be surprised if you even knew how to read," Kylo said. With the flick of his wrist Rey's eyes were forced open. She shifted her upper body so she could get a good look at him. He held his helmet to his side, and he was leaning against the wall, gazing at Rey intently. She returned his stare with a scowl.

"Huh, I was right. You _are_ illiterate," he said with a chuckle. He was able to move in and out of her mind freely and easily that it gave Rey the deepest sense of helplessness she'd ever experienced. Nothing was her own anymore.

Kylo pulled a chair from the corner of the room and sat down. He ran a hand through his hair and in that moment looked so utterly _normal._ Rey couldn't imagine him being any more than 5 years older than her, though she wasn't entirely sure how old she was exactly.

"You know, you aren't the first prisoner who has thought me handsome," he said, "But none of them have been as comely as you."

"Get over yourself," Rey said, "From the very second you took that helmet off I realized why you wear it." His compliment didn't go completely over her head, though. She felt warmth in the pits of her stomach when he'd said it.

 _This is not the time. It's a trick._

"You're tired. Why didn't you sleep last night?" Kylo said, ignoring her insult. He had noticed the bags under her eyes almost instantly. It would have been difficult not to, even with her deep tan. And once he'd seen them he'd become fixated. It wasn't her first night without sleep in the past week, he could tell. Her body was breaking down, and Kylo vowed to wait patiently for her weakest moment. He was not a patient man, but for once in his life he would be one if it meant not disappointing Snoke.

"How can I trust you enough to fall asleep here?" Rey said.

"Until I'm finished with you, you're under my protection," Kylo said.

"How _gentlemanly_ of you," she said, her tone laden with sarcasm.

"I never said it would be pleasant. Only you can decide when you've had enough of this," Kylo said. He gestures with his hand and Rey feels a wave of pain wash over her body. She could not determine where it was coming from, or where it was strongest. She let out a scream that filled the room. Death was just inches away.

Then he stopped. Tears were streaming down her face and her teeth were clenched. Her hands were balled into fists with her nails digging into her skin.

"Do you have anything you'd like to tell me?" he said.

"N-no. Never," Rey said.

"I take no pleasure in this," came his reply. Kylo was fascinated by the girl's willpower. She had more of it than most prisoners he'd interrogated. That coupled with the power of the Force inside of her made her a challenge, one he was happy to accept. There were other ways to catch her off guard.

But before he had a chance to try her again, she passed out. The pain, the fatigue, and the hunger were too much to take all at once and her body gave out under the pressure.

Kylo froze.

 _This is bad, this is really bad. If she dies without giving me any information…_

He convinced himself that this was where the concern stemmed from, the need to prove himself to Snoke.

Kylo found the control pad on the side of the wall and pressed the button to release the bonds holding Rey on the chair. He grabbed her wrist to check for a pulse, and was filled with relief when he felt that she was still alive and could hear her breathing. He was suddenly hit with the realization that he had gone too far, and that she had an extremely high tolerance for pain.

 _If this is going to work, I need to take a different approach._

Kylo put his helmet back on and scooped her up. He'd carried her this way before, and he remembered being surprised initially with how light she was. Rey looked so much smaller to him now that she was asleep, and infinitely more peaceful. She seemed to have forgotten where she was in her slumber, because Kylo could feel her trying to snuggle closer into his chest. He could hear her mumbling incoherently as well.

He took her to another holding cell. This one had a bed, and she'd be able to move about it freely, which Kylo felt Rey would appreciate. He pulled the blanket from the bed and set her down before tucking her in. He felt ridiculous, but perhaps showing the girl some kindness would ultimately turn her over to him.

Kylo brushed his thumb over her cheek and took a moment to admire her. She didn't belong in a backwater planet like Jakku, it was a profound waste of beauty and talent. So in that moment he resolved to change it, to elevate her to the dignified station her power granted her. He felt the responsibility to show her the Dark Side of the Force.

She had such great untapped power hidden inside of her, and he wanted so badly to cultivate it. Kylo decided that the location of the resistance base was of secondary importance. This girl would be his new project.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I hope everyone who celebrates had a good holiday season and is getting hyped up for New Years, because I know I am. I had a pretty shitty Christmas but everyone who reviewed/faved/followed/supported this story in any way has kept me positive! I would hug each and every one of you if I could.

 **Chapter 3**

Rey slept for hours, but it was a rare, dreamless sleep. She wasn't one to sleep regularly, or for healthy stretches of time. Hell, she seldom exceeded 6 hours. The thought of wasting so many hours of the day for a state of unconsciousness, no matter how pleasant, was repulsive to her. Besides, nighttime was ideal for scavenging. The high desert temperatures that wore her out more quickly during the day were no longer a problem. And as long as she was careful not to run into any unsavory characters, she was able to get more work done.

But aboard the space station, Rey had no concept of time, of day and night. She had time to think about how arbitrary those ideas were, and it only served to show her just how small her world was. She was unsure if she could ever be satisfied with living inside of it again.

 _If you leave, you run the risk of never seeing them again. What if they came for you and you weren't there?_

Rey's eyes fluttered open. The sight of the new room was disorienting, and it took a few seconds for her to remember where she was, but then the details flooded back to her.

 _Finn, BB-8, the mission, the map, Luke Skywalker_

The first thing she noticed was that she'd been moved, and though new room was smaller, Rey was happy to see she could move about it freely. She raised her right arm, and then her left, realizing how much she missed even that small amount of autonomy over her body. She rubbed the places in her arm where the metal restraints had left marks, characterized by a constant, dulled pain. The burn on her neck from Kylo's lightsaber was beginning to heal.

The next thing that Rey noticed was that she was in a proper bed, with blankets, a pillow, the whole nine yards. She sat up and the cold air hit her immediately, that and a sharp pain in her abdomen, for which she blamed yesterday's events. She clutched her stomach in an effort to soothe the ache.

There was an obvious disparity in temperatures between this room and the last, which led her to believe she'd been moved to a different wing of the facility entirely. Rey also saw that there was a window above the bed. She was initially very excited by what was outside, perhaps she'd see a planet or star that looked familiar, and by that she meant resembling the artists' renderings she'd spent hours poring over in her favorite books. But she was disappointed to see that there wasn't much for her to look at, only distant planets and stars, so she laid back down.

The room really was cold, or perhaps she just wasn't appropriately dressed. Rey pulled the blanket over her shoulder, because she knew that bare skin under a blanket would conserve more of her body heat than it would had she been more covered up. She removed the cloth she draped over her shirt and pants, dropping it on the ground next to her. It was cumbersome and whereas it did the important job of covering skin and protecting it from the desert heat, it was unnecessary now.

 _It hurts to move, he really did a number on me._

There was food and water too, sitting on the floor by the bed, doing nothing but furthering her confusion. Had he taken the information while she was sleeping? Was she being held here until termination?

 _It could be poisoned, they won't kill me. Not if I can help it. I'm going home._

Rey sat up again, and the pain ripped through her core. She winced before focusing on the cup of water and extended her right hand.

 _Remember, just how he did it. Focus and then flick your wrist._

She did this once without success, and then tried again. The third time, it moved a few inches to the right, but outside of that she didn't get any meaningful results. He made it look so easy and natural. His movements had an otherworldly quality to them, one that she was unable to replicate. They were so precise, governed by laws that were unknown to her. She wished she'd observed him more closely, and decided to do so when she saw him again, assuming the next time they met wouldn't be too late for her to save her life.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Kylo Ren told himself that he was in a good mood. After he had moved the girl to another cell, he was in an excellent position to look around her mind again for the map, but with better results this time. He now had the knowledge he needed, which he delivered to Snoke immediately. And he had been pleased with Kylo, proud even, which should have meant his good mood would be genuine and untainted by any thought of that girl. She complicated things.

 _She's the one causing this, her stubbornness is unprecedented, she's rude, irritating, uneducated, uncultured, and yet..._

Kylo couldn't deny that she was a attractive woman, though it had taken him some time to be able to admit that he was attracted to her. There was a difference, at least in his mind. He thought that admitting the problem to himself would help, but it only made matters worse. It was impossible for him to look at her and keep his mind from wandering.

Maybe that was why he lashed out yesterday.

He didn't want to hurt her, especially not on the level he had tortured her yesterday. He was angry with her because he was close to giving into temptation. This was his own fault, not hers.

 _But she thought it, she thought that I was handsome._

The resistance base would be raided for the droid and then bombed, he knew it. People that she cared about were going to die. Kylo considered not telling her, or putting the blame on someone else. She would hate him for what he did, but that was only because she didn't know any better.

Today he would make his offer to train her, not that there would be much of a choice involved on her part. Kylo knew that she would do anything to return to Jakku, even if it meant wasting her life and potential. He wouldn't let her do that, she had no idea what she would be throwing away.

But he had other reasons for asking Snoke to keep her alive. Like how last night when he had put her to bed, Kylo kissed her. She was asleep and he was staring, and he felt the need to do it so he did, just to see how it would feel. He thought that after feeling how chapped her lips were and smelling the dried sweat on her forehead this desire would go away, but it persisted, no, it grew stronger.

While he walked down the hall the air felt stiff, heavy, it wanted to hold him in place but he kept moving forward. This was nothing, he reassured himself, and it mustn't get in the way of his mission. She was far too old for training, Kylo remembered how young he had been when he'd started, but with time and work she could be bred into a powerful Sith Lord. Being her teacher would lend him some of the credibility that he so badly desired, force everyone to take him seriously.

Kylo eventually came to the door marked A-145 and paused. He almost knocked before entering out of habit, but imagined Rey as the type of person who wouldn't be receptive to politeness, especially from an enemy. So he pressed the button and the door opened.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Rey had been expecting him. In the hours after she'd woken up, she meditated on what she'd seen Kylo do and eventually developed the ability to sense his presence. It was indescribable, nothing like anything she'd felt before. She was able to feel the thousands of people aboard the ship, but the majority of them blended together to the point of becoming indistinguishable. But he stood out, so when she knew he was headed in her direction she decided to take action.

First, she stuffed the pillow inside of the blanket and bunched it up so that it looked as if she was underneath it, with the outer layer of her outfit poking out to make it more convincing. Next, Rey moved to the front left corner of the room as close to the door as possible. He was right handed, so an attack to his left would catch him off guard, and when the door opened she would strike.

So she waited with bated breath, her heart thumping out of her chest, and her arms shaking. She would punch him in the nose if he was helmetless, Rey knew how much that would hurt from experience. If his face was covered, she'd kick him in the crotch and run. This never would've been a fair fight anyway, so she was at peace with being unsportsmanlike.

 _If I don't pull this off, I'm as good as dead._

She launched at Kylo as soon as she saw the tiniest bit of him come through the doorframe. Rey was no stranger to fist fights, and everything she knew she'd learned the hard way.

 _Form a tight fist, thumb on the outside across your fingers, punch with your knuckles…_

But those were easy fights, much simpler than this, even if she hadn't known it at the time. Her opponents had been petty thieves, small time criminals, nobodies just like her. This was different, and it was over before it started.

Rey didn't have the time to check for his helmet if she was to hit him quickly enough, so she took a gamble and ended up punching a rock hard surface. The pain reverberated through her right hand and she pulled it back, but she wasn't done yet. She was able to get in a kick to the shin and a quick hit to the chest with her left hand before Kylo caught her wrist and pushed her against the wall. She fell to the ground after colliding with it. His height was never as noticeable to her as it was then, as he had nearly a foot on her. She knew in that moment that she was foolish to take him on like this without a weapon, without knowing how to manipulate objects as he could, and this was a losing battle from the beginning.

"You've come here to kill me then, is that it?" Rey said.

"Is that so?"

"Well you moved me here, to what seems like some kind of death row," Rey said, getting up from the ground and wincing. She wrapped her arm around her midsection to support the area as she stood, though she was still hunched at the waist, "But if that's what you're here to do you have another thing coming."

"Last night when you passed out, your mind was as weak and vulnerable as your body," Kylo said, walking over to the corner of the corner of the room where Rey struggled to stay on her two feet, "So naturally I was able to get the information that I needed. In many ways I am finished with you."

"What'll happen to them?" Rey asked, "Han, Chewy, Finn, BB-8?"

"You think of Han Solo as something of a father, do you? Let me save you the trouble and tell you now that he'll only disappoint you."

"Han Solo is a great man," Rey said, "Shut up and answer my question."

"Touchy subject, no worries, I understand more than you know. But about your friends, I don't have an answer for you. It's out of my hands."

"That's it then, I can go home now?" she asked.

"No, you cannot return to Jakku."

"So you'll," Rey paused, "Y-you'll kill me." Her voice shook and she bit her lower lip. It was something she did when she was nervous, but nervous didn't even begin to describe what she was feeling. She wasn't ready to die, not after her life had been given a new light and purpose. It felt as if things were just beginning, and now they would end just as quickly.

"No. I have an offer for you, one that I think you'll find to be most generous."

"Go on."

"You're powerful, more powerful than you know. The Force is strong within you and that means you are capable of incredible things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, binds the entire universe together and with proper training you can learn to control it. My offer is simple: either you submit to me as your teacher and learn the ways of the Force of your own volition or I use other methods of persuasion, and you won't like them."

"You can't keep me here, you can't just take my life away from me," she yelled.

"I can take whatever I want," Kylo said, "But it doesn't have to be that way. You're angry, and rightfully so, but it's misdirected at me and the First Order. I can't understand why you would fight to preserve the same system that kept you in extreme poverty for your entire life."

"I don't pretend to understand politics, but I don't see how things would be any different," Rey said.

"That's for you to decide, because you would be a part of the new order," he said, "Wealth, power, prestige, it can all be yours. So what is your decision?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hey everyone, how was your New Years? Another huge thanks to anyone who faved/followed/reviewed because I love you. I want to hit my goal of 100 reviews after this chapter is posted, or I at least hope to get close. This is a short chapter, but it's meant to be a transition into the next one which will be much, much longer.

 **Chapter 4**

Kylo was sick and tired of fighting her. He hadn't expected the attack, but he certainly wasn't surprised. She was weakened and unarmed though, so he ended things quickly and she seemed to have figured out that fighting him like this was futile and unproductive. He did have to hand it to her, it was a valiant effort. But now he had to convince her to do something Kylo figured she'd never done in her life: give in. He assumed she was close, what with her barely being able to stand.

"Before you say anything, think of what I'm offering you." He had taken his helmet off shortly after the skirmish had ended, it had become a habit for him to speak with her face to face.

"I don't want anything you're offering. Why would you want to help me anyway?" Rey said through clenched teeth. She stumbled across the room in hopes of reaching the bed so she could sit, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her struggling to stand.

"You are being ridiculous, I wish there was a mirror in here so you could look at yourself. You are injured, tired, hungry, and still fighting for a side that couldn't care less about you or your safety," he said, "And this isn't for you, it's much larger than that."

"That's not true, you wouldn't know anything about friendship," she said before sitting down.

"Don't you think that if any of your _friends_ felt anything for you at all, they would've at least _tried_ to rescue you?"

"You stop talking to me, stop it right now!" Her expression was beginning to change. There was still anger and resentment clinging to her now scrunched up face, but something else: fear. It was apparent when her left eye began to twitch, and he thought that had he not been present, he would've seen her cry again, not to cope with physical pain but something deeper. Good.

"I didn't want to hurt you again but if this is the only way to get through to you," he said, pulling out his lightsaber, letting it come to life in a flash of red, and walking toward her.

Rey was cornered. She raised her hand in defense and looked away, but she knew she was out of options. He was just a few feet away now, and he took a practice swing at the wall with one hand. It was forceful, there was obvious aggression in his arm and it was terrifying to her.

"Fine, I'll do it, I'll do whatever you want me to do," she said under her breath, "Just don't do that to me ever again."

"You have made a very smart decision, but you won't even have to worry about me coming anywhere near you until you take a shower because you smell terrible," Kylo said.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint, I really was trying my best to be appealing to you," she said with sarcasm in her voice and a scowl.

What he did next surprised her, he removed what looked to be some kind of cross between a scarf and a cape.

"Come here," he said.

"What?"

He sighed. "I was going to move you to another room, and unless you want me to knock you out again to do so I need to blindfold you."

She rolled her eyes but complied, mostly because she didn't want to wake up in a few hours with a nasty headache from being hit over the head, and she was sure he didn't even know how to do it properly, that he didn't know how to hit anything without the intention to kill.

Rey got up and made her way toward him so he could wrap the blindfold around her head. The black fabric was rough and scratchy on her skin. He tied it at the back so it was snug.

"I have to tie your hands behind your back too."

"Why? Are you afraid of me?" she said.

"That was a nice try, but you're hopelessly transparent," he said, in a flat tone, unamused. He pulled out a cable cord from his pocket.

"I was going to say that you should be afraid, because once I'm out of here and it's a fair fight I am going to fucking obliterate you," Rey said. Her voice was raspy for lack of water, "And if one hair on Finn's head is out of place you're gonna be begging me to kill you."

"Whatever you say," Kylo said. He grabbed her wrists and began tying them together behind Rey's back. He could see that she was angry, so he made a point of tying the knot as tightly as possible as he felt his mind drifting off, wondering why the girl cared for the defected stormtrooper as much as she did.

The logical answer was that there was something romantic between them, a thought that Kylo found himself loathing the more it lingered. And the more it lingered the more sense it was making, so he comforted himself with the knowledge that she would never see him again. He could be dead right now, and if not now then he would be very soon, and she would forget about him just as quickly.

"Ow! Enjoying this, are you?" she said under her breath, the thick fabric muffling the sound of her voice. But as much as he hated to admit it, he was, and it wasn't solely due to the fact that he'd gotten her to agree, however reluctantly, to be his student.

Kylo was enjoying the physical aspect of being in such close proximity of her, even if she was dirty and bloody. He was afraid of what this would be like when she looked her best, and if he'd be able to control himself when that would inevitably happen. So he found himself dreading the fact that he would be spending a lot of time with her, but it would be the exercise in self control that he needed. Because it was lust, plain and simple, and it would go away with time soon enough.

"Don't get cocky, I'd say you're enjoying this more than I am," he said, "I know what you're thinking at all times."

Kylo grabbed Rey by the arm and guided her out the door, through long hallways, inside of elevators, everywhere. His grip was strong and firm. She was keeping track of the number of turns they took, but he was most likely taking her the longest way possible to confuse her, and it worked. She thought she could gain some kind of understanding of how to navigate the ship if she were to escape, but Rey regretted to admit that she was no better off now than she was before.

 _He may still have the upper hand, but not for long._


	5. Chapter 5

********A/N:**** **I didn't hit my goal, but I did come really close and that's amazing! Everyone's kind words mean so much to me, and to the haters I don't care! They aren't related! It's not canon! The good news is here's the longer chapter (as promised), but the bad news is I'm going back to school and I work part time, so updates will be posted around once a week from this point onward.**

In this chapter, I let Rey say fuck. She's been through a lot I think we need to let her say it. Also, Hux makes his first appearance! More characters will be introduced in coming chapters now that I've developed a foundation of sorts (aka now the real fun can begin).

 **Chapter 5**

Kylo's words replayed over and over again in Rey's mind. They gave her no peace, and certainly left no room for other thoughts.

 _Don't you think that if any of your friends felt anything for you at all, they would've at least tried to rescue you?_

Each time those words hit harder, and harder, and _harder._ She couldn't believe it, she wouldn't. Finn cared about her, and how could she know for sure that he didn't come to rescue her and fail? That was possible, likely even, and Kylo had just been keeping this information from her. Or if the Resistance was spread too thin and it wasn't up to him...and they refused to sanction a rescue mission and it wasn't Finn's fault god damn it! She remembered his first words to her, the way he asked her if she was okay. It was such a simple question, one no one had ever asked her before. That was when she knew he was different, from the very second Finn met her he showed concern for her wellbeing. Perhaps she was too quick to jump to conclusions. He was probably that way with everyone, either that or it was a courtesy and nothing more.

Maybe Kylo was right, and she just wasn't as important to him as she thought.

 _No. I can't think like that, it's what he wants. That's why he said it, to get into my head._

Not that she was going to let him get to her, no, if out of nothing but pure spite. Rey planned on using him to grow stronger and gain his trust before either defeating him herself or escaping. She hadn't committed to either idea yet, but it was still too early to decide. She was never good with planning or thinking long term, it was never required of her. She was accustomed to living a simple life of day-to-day survival, and her mind wasn't used to operating within the context of a larger framework. Every day on Jakku presented straightforward challenges, all of which could be overcome by hard work and determination, but things were different here. Her problems had become more complex.

But she put all of those thoughts to the side for now in order to examine her new surroundings. Rey first noticed that it was a proper room, much larger than her previous accommodations, and she concluded that she would have taken him up on this offer sooner if it meant she could sleep in an actual bed sooner. The room also had a dresser and closet. She checked every square inch of the room for anything that she could use as a weapon, but found nothing.

She even tried unscrewing the knobs off of the dresser drawer to see if it was pointed on the other end, but it was too dull to do any kind of meaningful damage, so she put it back.

Kylo had told her to take a shower before he left, after dropping one snide comment after another on the matter as if she hadn't gotten the message the first time. Her new living space had an adjoining bathroom, so she walked inside and began to strip down. Her shirt was the first to go, and it was stained with blood that was now dried and crusty. Her own.

Rey's pants were next, and then her boots. She made a pile of her dirty clothes in the corner of the bathroom before examining the controls on the shower. On Jakku, it wasn't unusual for her to go long stretches of time without bathing, with water being so scarce and all, and it had never bothered her before. Nobody cared enough to point it out. But when Kylo mentioned it, it brought out a new sense of insecurity. It was clearer to her now than it ever had been that her background was something to be ashamed of.

She stepped into the shower, turned the knob, and hot water came rushing through the shower head. The water pressure was high, but it felt good on her back. Rey was amazed to see that she could adjust the water temperature so it was to her liking, unlike the cold baths she had been previously restricted to, not only that but the soap was scented. She wondered what else she had been missing out on.

It felt good to scrub all of the mud and grime off of her body, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Rey washed her hair before just standing in the shower for a few minutes to enjoy the heat. It felt incredible on her sore back muscles.

She turned the knob again to turn the water off and was hit immediately by the cold air when she stepped out of the shower. Rey wrapped the towel around herself and left the bathroom. There was another window in this room, a bigger one, and even though she knew the view would be just as empty as it was last time, she walked toward it.

Rey gave it a second look, and she was right. It was the same hollow void but its beauty was clearer to her the second time around. There was something there that she hadn't noticed before. The stars of far off systems twinkled, making an excellent contrast against the inky black of deep space. It suddenly hit her that she was light years away from home, and for the first time since she'd left with Finn, the thought of it didn't bother her. She was here, but she wasn't slaving away all day for the bare essentials. The second after the thought crossed her mind Rey pushed it away.

On top of the dresser were new clothes, so she decided to get dressed. The outfit consisted of a black long sleeved shirt and black pants; she assumed it was standard stormtrooper attire and that it had been snagged from someone whom Kylo thought was close enough to her size. Both the shirt and the pants were too big, but Rey preferred the loose fit, and she was just happy to have clean clothes.

She hung the towel on the bathroom door after quickly drying her hair with it. Having paced around every square foot of the room and assessed every possible escape route without success, she gave up and sat on the edge of the bed.

It was quiet, and for the first time since she'd been captured she felt something akin to relaxation.

The door opened.

 _What could he possibly want now?_

But it wasn't Kylo at the door, it was someone else entirely. This man didn't wear a mask. He was pale, with short red hair. He wore all black and looked like a military type. Rigid posture, arms behind his back, and a blank stare.

Rey furrowed her brows and cast a nasty look in his direction. This couldn't be good, was this all a trick? Was it Kylo's plan to have her killed all along? His request to train her could've been a lie, just manipulating her as some sick form of amusement.

 _But that makes no sense, just hear what this one has to say before you jump to conclusions again. You're driving yourself crazy. This is what they want you to do._

So she composed herself, but mentally prepared herself to attack him the moment he should turn on her.

"Who are you?" she said, scowling.

"How impolite of me, just barging in here without an introduction-"

"I should think so."

"Didn't your parents tell you not to interrupt someone when they're speaking to you?" he said, approaching her with slow steps, "As I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted, I am General Hux."

Rey didn't like this, any of it. She didn't like his condescending tone, his neatness, or the way his mouth twisted into a sarcastic smile when he talked down to her.

"So you're here to kill me? Or to take me to be killed I suppose it doesn't make a difference either way," she said.

All he did was laugh.

"I don't see what's so funny," Rey said, "I don't understand why you're here then."

"Well you see I was curious when I first heard about you from Kylo Ren. I wanted to see what about you has him so fascinated, what caused him to blatantly disobey orders to capture you."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but there's nothing interesting about me."

 _He did what?_

"Nonsense, from what I've heard you're uncommonly strong in the Force," Hux said.

"And?"

"I don't think you appreciate how rare that is." He stopped pacing and walked toward Rey.

"You're right, it means nothing to me."

"Then I think it was a waste. What irony, great power is given to the only girl in the galaxy stupid enough to throw it away in the name of, how do I put this, moral high ground?"

"Not wanting to have any part of the murder of innocents is a moral high ground? I'd call it being a decent human being."

Hux paused.

"You're not very smart, are you?" he asked, but it sounded more like a statement of fact than an opportunity for her to defend herself with an answer. So she didn't respond in hopes that he would get bored and leave.

"That's it then. You came here, you saw me with your own two eyes, you were disappointed, you can leave now."

"You _are_ a pretty thing though, I think that might have something to do with the fact that you're not dead... _yet_ ," he said, sitting down on the bed beside her. Rey immediately got up and put distance between them.

"What the fuck is your problem? Never come near me again." She was angry. Whereas Kylo's intentions were clear, Hux's were not. She had no concept of what he wanted, or if he wanted anything at all. He could just be messing with her for the hell of it.

"You're not in any position to be giving orders to anyone, but I don't have any more time to waste here," he said, making his way across the room and toward the door.

He raised his hand to tap the bottom of her chin.

"I regret that we probably won't meet again, you'll be dead before my schedule clears up. I'm not sure if that says more about Kylo's temper or my workload. But it was nice knowing you."

With that he was gone.

Rey breathed a sigh of relief and sat atop the bed again, she was tired and needed sleep. She climbed underneath the covers, pulled them to her chin, and curled into a fetal position. The blankets' embrace made her feel safe as she tried to force thoughts of Kylo and Hux and this place from her mind. She wondered if he could see into her mind right now, he did say that he was right down the hall. He said he would be keeping mental tabs on her through the Force, just in case she tried to escape.

She hated this feeling of helplessness, that, even though she was now relatively free, persisted. And tomorrow Rey would have to put on an act in front of him, just like she'd planned on doing. She'd have to learn from him, to accept the risk that she could fall to the Dark Side, just for the slightest chance that she would surpass him.

Rey thought of sand. It felt awful against bare skin, and it had a tendency to get into every nook and cranny of the house no matter how much time she spent cleaning it up. And there was no point in washing it out of her clothes either, because the next day there would be new sand in its place. There was no point in fighting it at all, so she stopped. Sand found its way underneath her fingernails, in her shoes, in her hair, and even in her ears. There was a thin coating of the stuff everywhere, even on her mirror. She stopped wiping it with her hand every morning, partially because she didn't want to see what she looked like. She didn't care. Nobody had ever called her pretty before, she thought she'd like it if someone did, but all Rey felt now was disgust.

So she drifted off to sleep, trying to avoid thoughts of the challenges tomorrow would bring.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Shit you guys school, work, and having a social life had me booked 24/7 these past few weeks. Luckily, since my area is going to get hit with a shit ton of snow, I should get some writing done. I realize I'm going to have to address Kylo's backstory pretty soon, which is also part of the reason I've been behind on writing. I've been putting a lot of thought into it lately, but I'd also love to hear your ideas.

Also as a note, someone reviewed saying that they hated Rey being shown as stupid in fics, this was not my intention! I only meant to communicate how arrogant Kylo and Hux have become. Also, I've started another star wars story, so if you like my writing, you'll probably like this other one as well! Hope you enjoy!

 **Chapter 6**

Rey's eyes opened and she jolted upon waking. She half expected to be strapped to that god damned board again, or perhaps to be lying in her bed at home, all of this having been some type of fever dream as a result of dehydration. After all, this would not be the first time she would have experienced such a thing. It would be as if none of this had ever happened, and her life would return to normal.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and shoved the blankets off all at once to feel the crisp, cold air of the room. The covers were surprisingly thick, and they had kept her warm through the night. Rey came to the conclusion that this entire spaceship was a frigid hellscape, and Kylo's scarf, which she once found ridiculous, now made sense. There was something so clean and sterile about the iciness that surrounded her here. Was this just a ship or a full blown station? She couldn't say for sure, as it is entirely possible that she was moved while unconscious.

Breakfast was left out for her, so Rey ate in stomach churned with hunger, to the point where she didn't find herself opposed to accepting the First Order's hospitality anymore.

After eating, she moved to the bathroom to clean up. There she washed her face with soap and water before fixing her hair in its three buns down the back of her head. Rey looked in the mirror and found that she looked well rested, and nearly herself again. The bruises that she did have still looked nasty, but she reassured herself that they would fade with time. What was most worrying to her was that when people saw them, they would see her as defeated. Weak. Just the thought was infuriating.

Rey looked at the new boots she had been given and put them on reluctantly. They were shiny, black, to the knee, and very obviously from some variety of First Order military uniform. She found them to be stiff and noisy as she walked, but her old shoes were badly damaged. These would have to do for now.

The reflection she saw staring back at her was unrecognizable at first glance. She looked far more serious, and far more intimidating. Whoever had designed the Imperial uniforms was doing something right, as she was sure this was the purpose of the garments. The officers she had seen now seemed less scary.

The door opened, to Rey's surprise. She knew her heart would always begin pounding when she heard that sound. There was simply no way she would get used to it.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Walk with me, we have much to discuss" Kylo said. Rey stared at him in disbelief, but got up to follow him out of the room. She was surprised that he would trust her not to run, but perhaps he was certain that he would have no trouble containing her if she decided to do anything rash.

"What, no blindfold this time?" she said.

"No."

He seemed less talkative than he had shown himself to be in the past. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was now wearing his helmet. It was possible that he had developed a persona whilst wearing it, whether it was a conscious effort or not. Rey followed him out the door and into the hall. She took a moment to look around and absorb everything about it, but there wasn't much to see. It was dark and unremarkable.

"Well what is it then? Just say whatever it is you're going to say," she said.

"You've accepted my offer to train you-"

"I know. I was there," she said, frustrated.

"Do not interrupt me again," Kylo said sharply, "What do you know of the Force?"

"Next to nothing," Rey said, hating to admit that she was lacking, but hopeful that a display of vulnerability may lead to him eventually letting his guard down.

"You have been abandoned, mistreated, I have seen it all. What _you_ do not see is that this is the fault of the New Republic, that things do not have to be the way that they were on Jakku. I have made it my mission to restore _order_ to the galaxy," Kylo said.

"Order? Don't lie to me, this whole enterprise is you trying to grab power for yourself," she spat.

"In time you may come to see things differently, but for now, listen closely," he said, as they came to a large, empty room. It was round, and the entire back wall was a window, which Rey's eyes were immediately drawn to. She looked for a planet, a star, _anything_ that would give away their location, but once again found nothing distinctive.

Kylo entered it first, followed by Rey. As the door slid shut behind them, he removed his helmet and placed it on the ground. It continued to puzzle her every time that he did it. Why did he insist on showing her his face? Was it because he wanted to make her less nervous? Was the helmet simply restricting, and after having seen his face once already, Kylo didn't see the purpose in hiding it anymore?

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me. This is the Sith code. These are the words you will live by," he said, "They were written by a woman named Sorzus Syn. She was an exiled Jedi who became the first of the Sith Lords. Her teachings have been passed down through each generation of Sith, from master to apprentice, for many years now."

Rey nodded.

"Because you are already physically strong, I would rather begin your training with mastery of mental skill. Sit down."

She did as he said, and he sat across from her.

"Close your eyes," he said, and she did as he said, "Feel the Force penetrate through yourself and I, binding us all together. Feel the connection between inorganic and organic matter alike."

Rey focused, trying to channel the power that she had been able to before. It took several minutes of meditation, but after that she had been able to sense the objects in the room: their size, their placement, the materials that they were made of, all without the use of her eyes.

"I think I can feel it," she said.

"Good. That which you feel all around you is power for you to draw upon, but it is not everything. You have great anger within you, I can sense it. This is your true strength," he said before rising to his feet.

Kylo grabbed his lightsaber and struck her with the blunt end at her shoulder. Rey's eyes opened quickly, and she got to her feet and moved back.

"You did not anticipate my attack quickly enough. You were not focused, if you were, you would have sensed my abrupt change in thoughts before I was able to bring my plan to fruition. I know that you can do it, I've _seen_ you do it before."

"So you want me to fight you?" she said, smirking.

Rey took her hand from her shoulder and curling it into a raised fist. She ran to engage him, and threw several quick jabs, some of which hit him. His punches were well placed and well timed, and she was only able to deflect a small few of them. It was hopeless. Somehow he knew what she planned to do before she even did. Every opening that she saw was gone before she could capitalize on it. Rey thought that since he was significantly larger than she was, that he would be more cumbersome, but this was not the case. She considered herself to be fast, but somehow he was faster.

"Enough. You are relying too heavily on your strength, acting too quickly and without thought. You lack precision. Focus your mind and let the Force guide you," he said.

Rey stopped, closed her eyes, and controlled her breathing.

"Focus your mind-"

She lunged at him mid-sentence, and this time something had indeed changed inside of her. She dodged his fists with more ease than before, and restrained from striking Kylo until she had a clear opening. If he said that impulsiveness was her weakness, then she would prove to him how patient she could be.

"Good, you _can_ learn after all. Unfortunately, I have someplace I need to be at the moment," he said, checking the time, "Stay here and spar with the droids until I return to collect you."

"Fine," she said.

"Also, take this," he said, revealing a second lightsaber, "This used to be mine, you will use this until you are able to build your own. I imagine it is similar to your staff, so you will have no trouble using it."

Kylo picked his helmet up from the ground, fastened it onto his head, and he was gone.


End file.
